diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index f334284..4338492 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,14 @@ and this project uses [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html)
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Changed
+
+- A blank driver (`driver.add --shim-class`) now starts with the documents the engine and
+  Designer expect, as templates: a filter with User and Group and the usual attributes
+  synchronised both ways, shim settings with one example parameter per section (driver,
+  Subscriber, Publisher heartbeat), and an empty configuration-values document — instead of an
+  empty `<filter/>` and bare option groups.
+
 ## [0.14.0] - 2026-10-07
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/pointblue/dirxml/dev/edit/DriverOps.java b/src/main/java/com/pointblue/dirxml/dev/edit/DriverOps.java
index da84ebe..904b113 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/pointblue/dirxml/dev/edit/DriverOps.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/pointblue/dirxml/dev/edit/DriverOps.java
@@ -27,7 +27,10 @@
  *       artifacts the export carries are added to the tree's Library when absent
  *       (matched by name; an existing one is kept as is);</li>
  *   <li>{@code --copy-of D}: a clone of an existing driver, links re-pointed;</li>
- *   <li>{@code --shim-class C}: a blank driver with an empty filter.</li>
+ *   <li>{@code --shim-class C}: a blank driver with a starting filter (User and Group, the
+ *       usual attributes synchronised both ways), shim settings with one example parameter per
+ *       section, and an empty configuration-values document — every document the engine and
+ *       Designer expect, as templates to edit rather than blanks to invent.</li>
  * </ul>
  * Package meta travels with the copied artifacts, so the deployer treats them as
  * packaged and the project writer will refuse a packaged driver.
@@ -37,6 +40,41 @@ public final class DriverOps {
     private DriverOps() {
     }
 
+    /** A starting filter for a blank driver: User and Group, the usual attributes, synchronised both ways. */
+    static final String BLANK_FILTER = "<filter>"
+        + "<filter-class class-name=\"User\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-create-homedir=\"true\" publisher-track-template-member=\"false\" subscriber=\"sync\">"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"CN\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"Surname\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"Given Name\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"Full Name\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"Internet EMail Address\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"Telephone Number\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"Login Disabled\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"Group Membership\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "</filter-class>"
+        + "<filter-class class-name=\"Group\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-create-homedir=\"false\" publisher-track-template-member=\"false\" subscriber=\"sync\">"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"CN\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"Description\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "<filter-attr attr-name=\"Member\" merge-authority=\"default\" publisher=\"sync\" publisher-optimize-modify=\"true\" subscriber=\"sync\"/>"
+        + "</filter-class>"
+        + "</filter>";
+
+    /** Shim settings for a blank driver: the three sections, each with one example parameter in the engine's definition form. */
+    static final String BLANK_SHIM_CONFIG = "<driver-config name=\"%NAME%\">"
+        + "<driver-options><configuration-values><definitions>"
+        + "<definition display-name=\"Example driver option\" name=\"example-option\" type=\"string\">"
+        + "<description>A driver parameter the shim reads from its init document (replace or remove).</description><value/></definition>"
+        + "</definitions></configuration-values></driver-options>"
+        + "<subscriber-options><configuration-values><definitions>"
+        + "<definition display-name=\"Example subscriber option\" name=\"example-sub-option\" type=\"string\">"
+        + "<description>A Subscriber channel parameter (replace or remove).</description><value/></definition>"
+        + "</definitions></configuration-values></subscriber-options>"
+        + "<publisher-options><configuration-values><definitions>"
+        + "<definition display-name=\"Publisher heartbeat interval\" name=\"pub-heartbeat-interval\" type=\"integer\">"
+        + "<description>Minutes of Publisher silence after which the shim sends a status document; 0 disables it.</description><value>1</value></definition>"
+        + "</definitions></configuration-values></publisher-options>"
+        + "</driver-config>";
+
     public static final class Add implements Operation {
         private final String name;
         private final Path export;
@@ -113,10 +151,10 @@ public void apply(DriverSet ds, Transaction tx) throws Refusal, IOException {
                 d.shimClass = shim;
                 d.shimAuthServer = authServer;
                 d.shimAuthId = authId;
-                d.config.put(Driver.DRIVER_FILTER, CanonicalXml.parse("<filter/>").getDocumentElement());
+                d.config.put(Driver.DRIVER_FILTER, CanonicalXml.parse(BLANK_FILTER).getDocumentElement());
                 d.config.put(Driver.SHIM_CONFIG_INFO, CanonicalXml.parse(
-                    "<driver-config name=\"" + name.replace("&", "&amp;").replace("\"", "&quot;") + "\"><driver-options/><subscriber-options/><publisher-options/></driver-config>")
-                    .getDocumentElement());
+                    BLANK_SHIM_CONFIG.replace("%NAME%", name.replace("&", "&amp;").replace("\"", "&quot;"))).getDocumentElement());
+                d.config.put(Driver.CONFIG_VALUES, CanonicalXml.parse("<configuration-values><definitions/></configuration-values>").getDocumentElement());
             }
             if (ds.dn != null && !ds.dn.isBlank()) {
                 d.dn = "cn=" + name + "," + ds.dn;
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/pointblue/dirxml/dev/edit/DriverOpsTest.java b/src/test/java/com/pointblue/dirxml/dev/edit/DriverOpsTest.java
index e17ccf3..9ddacf6 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/pointblue/dirxml/dev/edit/DriverOpsTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/pointblue/dirxml/dev/edit/DriverOpsTest.java
@@ -62,9 +62,20 @@ public void blankDriver() throws IOException {
         Driver d = AsCodeReader.read(tree).driver("Loop");
         assertEquals("com.example.Loop", d.shimClass);
         assertEquals("svc", d.shimAuthId);
-        assertNotNull(d.config.get(Driver.DRIVER_FILTER));
-        assertNotNull(d.config.get(Driver.SHIM_CONFIG_INFO));
-        assertTrue(r.report.ok());
+        // the templates: a starting filter, shim settings with an example per section, an empty configuration-values
+        org.w3c.dom.Element filter = d.config.get(Driver.DRIVER_FILTER);
+        assertNotNull(filter);
+        assertEquals(2, filter.getElementsByTagName("filter-class").getLength());
+        assertEquals("User", ((org.w3c.dom.Element) filter.getElementsByTagName("filter-class").item(0)).getAttribute("class-name"));
+        assertTrue(filter.getElementsByTagName("filter-attr").getLength() >= 8);
+        org.w3c.dom.Element shim = d.config.get(Driver.SHIM_CONFIG_INFO);
+        assertNotNull(shim);
+        assertEquals("Loop", shim.getAttribute("name"));
+        assertEquals(3, shim.getElementsByTagName("definition").getLength());
+        assertEquals(1, shim.getElementsByTagName("publisher-options").getLength());
+        assertNotNull(d.config.get(Driver.CONFIG_VALUES));
+        assertEquals("definitions", d.config.get(Driver.CONFIG_VALUES).getElementsByTagName("definitions").item(0).getNodeName());
+        assertTrue(r.report.text(), r.report.ok());
         assertTrue(run(new DriverOps.Add("Blank2", null, null, false, null, null, null)).refusal.contains("--shim-class"));
     }